I Have No Idea
by Oregano
Summary: Jess finds this weirdo who turns out to be just the one he needs. But is she the one he wants? [THERE! C:] Please, please, please read and review.
1. No Goodbye?

0.1 No Goodbye?  
  
[forgot a disclaimer: all not mine 'cept the girl]  
  
He silently watched his nephew glance at the bar for the sixteenth time. Luke let out a breath of exasperation.  
  
"Uh, she- she's in Washington, Jess. Apparently, she won this Vice-President-Election-thingus at Chilton."  
  
Jess looked at him blankly, "Oh."  
  
The kid then started to wipe the table he was standing in front of. Suddenly, he stopped, "She didn't come over? I mean, to say goodbye?"  
  
"No, they, uh, left pretty early."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Luke saw his nephew's face just kind of, prune up, obviously in deep thought and remained silent the whole day. He sighed once again and started wiping the bar counter. Poor kid.  
  
  
Jess liked closing up the diner. The place became empty and peaceful. Those weirdo-townspeople were all off to their next adventure, leaving the diner nice and quiet. His uncle didn't talk too much, unless he was yelling about something he had done, but other than that, it was nice and quiet. Closing up gave him time to think, usually about Rory Gilmore.  
  
It was raining hard tonight, he observed. He hoped that some people of the Stars Hollow population got drenched tonight; one tall idiot who always got in his way, in particular.  
  
He then saw a figure covered in the darkness. He watched closely as it stumbled along its way. Jess squinted his eyes a bit. The thing suddenly pitched forward and fell face first onto the sidewalk. Jess saw this. He dropped the rag he was holding and ran outside into the rain, toward 'him', no 'her', or maybe even 'it'.   
  
When he came closer, he realized that 'it' was definitely a 'her'. He lifted her up and carried her into the diner.   
  
"Luke!"  
  
  
Jess hurried the girl into the apartment upstairs. He went straight to his room.   
  
"Are you sure you want to stick her in that pigsty in there? Because we might not… find… her…"  
  
Luke's voice trailed away when he entered Jess' room. It was clean. His bed was made; his gargantuan book collection was piled up neatly to one side of the room; his CD's were neatly shelved; his clothes were nowhere to be seen. It was the miracle of all miracles: Jess Mariano, the Pig, had cleaned up.  
  
"Hey Luke, are you just going to stare at my room all night or are you actually going to help me with this?"  
  
His uncle snapped out of his trance, "What? Oh, uh, yeah. Sure."  
  
They got as far as taking her shoes off. Jess looked at his uncle; Luke stared at his nephew. They both really didn't want to take any other articles of clothing off, considering the evident gender gap that they were stuck in.   
  
The two 'gentlemen' thought of someone to possibly call. Both were thinking of the same person, but neither really wanted to talk to her. Finally, Jess cracked.   
  
"We don't have a choice, Luke. It's either her or the stupid French guy who might not even be gay."  
  
His uncle sighed, but gave in.  
  
"Fine, but tell her you found the girl--"  
  
"Which is true."  
  
"--and that it was your idea to call her."  
  
"Again with the word, 'true'"  
  
"Do not mention me or my name in any way."  
  
"Aye, Captain." 


	2. Gentlemanly Behavior

0.2 Gentlemanly Behavior  
  
Lorelai was stumped. She had been sitting in the kitchen table for four hours, stuck in the stupid crossword puzzle that she didn't even want to do in the first place. She was thinking of morbid ways to get rid of the stupid booklet made of stupid recycled paper, but the phone drew her thoughts away from it. For the moment.  
  
"You, my friend, have been saved by the phone. He is your only ally in this world. The phone," she glared at the crossword booklet, "and only the phone has the power to save you. Not the oven, not the box of matches—"  
  
The phone rang again, breaking Lorelai's evil speech.  
  
"This better be good. I haven't even gotten to my evil laugh yet."  
  
"Lorelai?" a bored voice asked from the other end. Her back stiffened. When did he come back?   
  
"Jess." She said flatly.  
  
"We- OW! I mean, I need your help. Can you come over to the diner? Right now? It's important."  
  
"How important?"  
  
"Uh, life-and-death-important?"  
  
Lorelai had her doubts. This boy was a fifty per cent liar.   
"Please, Lorelai."  
  
But this boy was zero per cent mannerly, except in Rory's case, and a zero per cent pleader.   
  
"I'll be there in a few minutes."  
  
  
When Lorelai got there, Jess was waiting in the diner. He let her in and led her to the apartment without a word.   
  
"So what's this about?" She didn't want to waste her voice for him, so she got straight to the point.   
  
Jess, equally unwilling to waste his precious quips, flatly replied, "I found a girl outside, in the rain. She's drenched to the skin and I feel that it's not in my gentlemanly character to undress a female without her consent." Damn, he was so close to being civil. He just couldn't help the "gentlemanly" thing.  
  
Lorelai looked at him funny.   
  
"Sorry. It's Jane Austen's fault."  
  
  
Jess showed Lorelai the girl. At first, she was amazed by the cleanliness of the room, but she said nothing. Jess then left the room after handing Lorelai some clothes for her to dress the girl with. After Lorelai was done, she came out of the room to find Jess slouched over the sofa, waiting silently. He saw her and jumped to his feet. She gave him the wet clothes because she wasn't really sure what to do with them.   
  
"So, where's Luke?" she asked casually.  
"He's asleep."  
  
Lorelai was aware that it was just ten past nine in the evening. A wave of hurt washed over her. Luke didn't even want to see her.   
  
"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll be going now."  
  
She went outside and down the stairs leading to the diner with Jess following behind. Lorelai turned the doorknob and left quietly. She wasn't too far away when the door jingled again.   
  
"Lorelai!"  
  
She turned at the sound of her name.  
  
"Thanks. And, uh, that's coming from me AND Luke."  
  
Lorelai smiled a small smile and said, "You're welcome."  
  
She turned back around, ready to head home and murder the stupid crossword booklet. Her smile grew when she heard Jess add something. She didn't bother to face him again. Lorelai just stopped, and listened.   
  
"Just don't tell him I mentioned his name!" 


	3. Raine of Terror

0.3 Raine of Terror  
  
[hi! ooh! i'm shaking here! people read it!! i love you!]  
  
Luke woke up the next day to find Jess already opening the diner. What the hell was up with this kid?  
  
Oh, yeah. He told him to be different from now on. Sometimes he just forgot that and was surprised by his nephew.   
  
"Luke, did you check on the girl?" Jess asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's fine. Where did you sleep last night, if she was in your bed?" Luke suddenly was afraid of Jess' answer.   
  
The boy saw his fear and answered smirking, "I slept on the couch, Luke."  
  
Relief passed through Luke's face. It was fun to ruffle Luke's feathers.  
  
They discussed how they would look after the girl throughout the day. Both agreed on switching shifts every two hours until the girl woke up. Nice plan.  
  
  
It was about one in the afternoon before any of them got a peep out of the girl. Luke was her first victim. He was outside, bent over a box looking for something. He suddenly felt something poke his butt. He whirled around and almost died.  
  
"AAAUUUGGGGHHHH!"   
  
Luke's hand flew to his palpitating heart and the girl jumped about ten feet into the air, still holding the wooden spatula that she obviously used to poke his ass.  
  
  
Downstairs, Jess was refilling a coffee cup when Luke's angry voice wafted down into the diner.  
  
"AAAUUUGGGGHHHH!"   
  
The customers all went silent, each one surprised at the gut-wrenching scream.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?! I AM GETTING OLD; I'M LOSING HAIR, AND THE LAST THING I WANT IS A FREAKING HEART ATTACK!"   
  
Jess chuckled softly. This girl would definitely be interesting.  
  
  
Luke needed to calm down. He had just scared the wits out of a child who scared the HELL out of him. He took in a deep breath and sat on the couch. He motioned for the girl to sit beside her. It didn't escape his notice that she sat as far away as possible from him.  
  
"Look, kid, I'm sorry for yelling at you, but having a spatula stuck up my ass isn't an everyday occurrence for me."  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to give you ventricular fibrillations; I just wanted your attention." she replied with a completely serious face.  
  
"And what better way to get it than being attacked by my kitchen utensils. What's your name, kid?"  
  
"Raine."   
  
"Oh, how ironic. I'm sitting here talking to a girl, who my nephew found in the rain, named Raine."  
  
Luke realized that he was talking to himself and stopped. After a few seconds, he spoke again.  
  
"Okay, Raine. My name is Luke. I own a diner which is happily situated downstairs. It's called… Luke's Diner. I realize now that that was not terribly important. So I'll just skip that part.  
  
"My nephew found you last night in the rain. I think he said that you bent over and passed out or something, so he carried you inside. We, along with someone else, took care of you. You've been sleeping since then, and that is how we came to where we are now." He concluded with a sweeping gesture of his hand.  
  
"Now, every once in a while, you will see a personification of Angst walking around here. He has big, rock solid hair and speaks like he's stoned and wears these stupid shirts that you wouldn't believe ever to have existed. His name is Jess and he's the one who found you. If he doesn't speak to you, it's okay. He's naturally like that. I think it's his rebel thing he has going on.  
  
"So, with all that out of the way, I'd like to ask: Are you hungry?"  
  
The girl, Raine, absorbed it all quietly. She never said a word during his long diatribe, which kind of freaked Luke out. At last, she said, "Do you have muffins?" 


	4. Holly Golightly On Speed

0.4 Holly Golightly On Speed  
  
Raine followed the man she almost killed with a spatula down a flight of stairs. She was greeted with the smell of food. Luke made her sit on a barstool and gave her a blueberry muffin. Nice. As she ate, she noticed something.  
  
"You look a little understaffed, Mr. Luke."  
  
"Great, now I'm Mr. Luke." Luke mumbled to himself. "Yes. Yes, we are understaffed. There are only three of us working in this diner."  
  
"Would you like some help? OOH! HEY!"  
  
Raine's sudden outburst made people turn to look at her. Luke accidentally ripped an order form in half and Jess almost dropped a plate of pancakes.  
  
"What, Raine?"  
  
She looked a little embarrassed at her action but that didn't stop her.  
  
"I could work at this diner and earn my keep! Please, Mr. Luke, I need a place to stay. I have no idea where I am and you are the only person I know here. Ooh, it's so 'past-y'!"  
  
"'Past-y?'?  
  
"Yeah, like, a thing in the past. You know! Little peasant kids going, 'Please sir, I'd like to work to earn my keep!'"  
  
Oh, Good Lord. Jess had found a crazy person. Luke thought about her suggestion for a long while. Ceasar had actually stopped cooking and was looking expectantly at Luke. Jess was a little more subtle, but it was definite that he wanted some help.   
  
"Fine, you can do your little peasant thing and earn your keep."  
  
"Aw, thanks Mr. Luke."  
  
"You start taking people's orders after you finish that muffin."  
  
"Oh, in that case, I'd better eat slower."  
  
Luke shot her a glare. Raine smiled and stuffed the muffin, which was as big as baseball, in her mouth.  
  
"Shlow enough foa youe?"  
  
Disgusting.   
  
  
"Omelet with a side of bacon, please!"   
  
"Oh, Ceasar, you're a darling!"  
  
"Coffee, madam?"  
  
"Whoop! Watch yourself, it's hot!"  
  
"Akk! Mr. Luke! Your elbow!"  
  
Luke watched his new employee from the counter. It was like watching a circus freak perform; Holly Golightly on speed; and Lorelai Gilmore after thirteen cups of coffee, altogether.   
  
Jess soon took his break. He stood beside Luke and said, "Pretty amusing kid. Does she know she's still in her pajamas?"  
  
Ah, crap. Luke hadn't noticed either.   
  
  
The day wore off and soon, it was time to close up again. Luke was in the storage room, Raine was wiping tables and Jess was putting the chairs up.  
  
She wanted to talk to the boy, try to be his friend. But he was unapproachable. He just quietly lifted chairs and put them on the tables. There was obviously a lot on his mind, so she didn't bother him. She'd try tomorrow.   
  
"Mr. Luke! I'm done! May I go upstairs now?"  
  
"Yeah!" Luke yelled from the storage room.  
  
Raine bounded up the stairs yelling, "Goodnight Mr. Luke! Goodnight Jess!"  
  
After a while, Luke popped his head out the side of the storage room door. He called Jess and whispered, "Is she gone?"  
  
"Yeah. You can come out now, Luke."  
  
"Great. Uh, Jess?" Luke fiddled with the lid of the donut case.  
  
"Luke."  
  
"I wanted to say, you know, uh, thanks. For, uh, trying."  
  
Jess didn't face him. Luke wasn't sure he heard him.  
  
"No problem, Uncle Luke." 


	5. Frankenstein Attacks

0.5 Frankenstein Attacks  
  
When Jess arrived upstairs, Raine was fast asleep. On the couch. Modesty. He gathered Raine in his arms and carried her to his bed. He tucked her in and went back outside. He fell asleep on the couch.  
  
He woke up on his bed. What the--?  
  
Jess got up and stumbled outside. There, he found Raine, still asleep. On the couch. He smiled to himself.   
  
  
The morning was uneventful. Orders were taken; customers were served. By the afternoon, the diner was empty. Raine sat on a chair and propped her feet up on the table. Luke was about to yell at her but she cut him off.  
  
"I'll wipe it later 'till my face shows, Mr. Luke. Don't worry."  
  
The door suddenly jingled. The sound surprised Raine and she fell over backwards.   
  
"Woohoo!"  
  
She clumsily stood up and started to wipe the table. She faced the customer and smiled, "What can I get you?"  
  
The guy looked at her carefully. Raine grew nervous. Creepy.  
  
"I'll have a cheeseburger."  
  
"Fries?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
Luke came out from the kitchen and froze. He smiled coldly at the customer.  
  
"Dean."  
  
Jess rumbled down the stairs. He was about to speak but stopped. He, too, froze as he saw Dean.   
  
"Jess."  
  
"Frankenstein."  
  
Raine watched with fascination. It was like the diner suddenly dropped to zero degrees.   
  
"Why'd you come back, Jess? I thought you were gone."  
  
"She needed me."  
  
"She did not! You're the one who hurt her in the first place! You drove her car, which I built for her, and crashed it."  
  
"Jesus, it wasn't like I conspired with the squirrel to hurt her. It was an accident, Dean. I made sure she was fine. I'd never hurt her in purpose."  
  
"Bull."  
  
"She's my friend, you bozo."  
  
"You don't deserve friends, Mariano. And you certainly don't deserve her."  
  
Wow. Raine saw the flash of hurt go through Jess' face. It died quickly and was replaced by anger. Who was this "her" they kept mentioning?  
  
"Get out, Dean." Jess said menacingly.  
  
"No. I still have a cheeseburger to wait for." Dean said haughtily.  
  
Within two seconds, Jess was at him. There was punching, pushing, hell, even biting. Luke and Raine managed to separate the two before anyone died. Raine helped Jess limp up to the apartment and Luke took care of Dean outside.  
  
"Are you okay? I mean, besides the black eye, bleeding cut on your head and fat lip?"  
  
"I'm fine, Raine. Thanks."  
  
Raine took out some band-aids and a wet cloth. She worked silently. When she was done cleaning his head wound, she stuck a Batman Band-aid on his forehead. She stood up to leave. When she got to the door, she turned around.   
  
"It's not true, Jess. What that guy said. You do deserve friends. And I'd be one of them if you'd like."  
  
Jess tried to smile through his lip injury. He replied, quieter than usual.  
  
"Thanks, Raine." 


	6. Missing A Psycho

0.6 Missing A Psycho  
  
It had been a few days after the tall guy's visit, and Jess was healing nicely. When Raine got out of the washroom that night, she found Jess sitting on the couch. She slowly made her way to him, careful not to make any sudden movements. Both sat in silence. Finally, Jess took in a deep breath and sighed.  
  
"Her name's Rory…"  
Raine faced him. "Tell me about her."  
  
After a few minutes, Jess finished describing Rory to Raine and what events led to the brawl downstairs. He honestly felt a little better. He had nobody to confide in since Rory left. Raine was the perfect listener.  
  
After Raine heard Jess' story, she felt worse than before. She felt fat, stupid and ugly. Rory Gilmore sounded perfect. Jess was obviously head over heels in love with her.  
  
"How about you? What on earth possessed you to come to Stars Hollow?"   
  
Raine hesitated.  
  
"I – I ran away from home…"  
  
  
From inside his room, Luke chuckled. Jess finally found an outlet to his emotions through a sixteen year old psycho. He suddenly wished that he could talk to HIS psycho. Lorelai. He missed her, it was true. But all those things she said to him about Jess just proved that she was just like them: the obtuse, biased people of Stars Hollow. Luke thought that she would understand the kid; Lorelai, of all people. But she just turned out to be a bigger disappointment to him than Jess was.  
  
That night, Jess and Raine decided to share the bed.  
  
That night, Luke slept with a scowl on his face.  
  
The next morning, after waking up next to Raine's upside-down form and with her foot pressed against his face, Jess decided to take the cot out.   
  
  
The diner was packed. It was so busy, none of them had any time to take breaks. The door jingled once again, announcing the arrival of a new customer. It was Lorelai. She sat at the bar and waited. Raine walked over to her and asked, "Hey, Ms. Lorelai! What can I get you?"  
  
"Coffee, Raine."  
  
Lorelai had been more frequent at Luke's now that there was a friendly face around. Raine reminded Lorelai of Rory, actually. In a weird, senseless way.  
  
"Excuse me, people. Get out of my way, Kirk."  
  
Luke squeezed his way through the people to get to the kitchen. He jumped a mile when he saw Lorelai.  
  
"She seems to be getting the hang of it." Loreali said, motioning to Raine.  
  
Luke just grunted.  
  
"Oh, my God. Are you still mad, Luke?"  
  
"I have to make some pancakes."  
  
"Unbelievable."  
  
  
After a long day at the Inn, Lorelai was ready to collapse. She walked crookedly into her house. Her abandoned house. She bit her lip. Chris was gone. Rory was gone. Sookie was with Jackson. Normally, she'd be hanging out with Luke, annoying him until daybreak. But hey, he wasn't speaking to her like Luke. The phone rang after she took off a shoe. She limped to the table and answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Lorelai?"  
  
"Christopher?"  
  
"I'm so sorry Lorelai, but I have to tell you now, before I chicken out again."  
  
"What is it? Is Sherry having triplets?" Lorelai asked sarcastically.  
  
"No, but I'm thinking of marrying her. I'm so sorry Lorelai. We decided that it would be best for the kid if it had a somewhat of a normal family upbringing."  
  
With Christopher still talking, Lorelai dropped her shoe and wordlessly put the phone down.  
  
"Huh." 


	7. Marching With A Purpose

0.7 Marching With A Purpose  
  
[is it good enough? because not a lot of people are reviewing... :C]  
  
"And she's been like that for two days straight!"  
  
"I know! I tried to call her, but nobody was answering the phone! I'm getting worried, Miss Patty!"  
  
"Poor girl, I think it's about Luke." Babbette whispered to her friend.  
  
"Is it? I thought it was about Rory's father! I saw him at Sookie's wedding…"  
  
  
Raine looked up from the order pad, "Who are you guys talking about?"  
  
"SSSHHH! It's Lorelai! She's dug herself a little hermit-hole in her house and won't come out!"  
  
Miss Patty had actually managed to tell her the whole story in ten minutes. Jeez, the people around Stars Hollow sure were gossipy.   
  
She HAD to tell Mr. Luke.  
  
  
"…and they think it's either about you, or another guy. They said he was Rory's father! Mr. Luke, I know that you kind of, uh, clam up, when Ms. Lorelai comes to visit, but I really think she needs a friend."  
  
"She already HAS friends, Raine."  
  
"Who? The stupid French guy who might not even be gay."  
  
"You have been hanging out with Jess way too much. And how can he NOT be gay?! His NAME, is pronounced 'Michelle'!"  
  
"Her daughter is gone, her best friend, Mr. Luke. She's living in a HOLE."  
  
"These people tend to exaggerate, Raine."  
  
"It could be serious, and if something horrible happens, it could be all your fault. Just because you didn't want to go."  
  
Raine looked at Luke as he thought about it.  
  
"It wouldn't hurt to go, Mr. Luke."  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this. CEASAR! Take over for a few minutes."  
  
  
Luke marched over to the Gilmore residence mumbling, giving the town a new thing to gossip about.  
  
"LORELAI!"  
  
No answer. He walked around the house and broke in through the back door, as he had done before. Lorelai still hadn't gotten new locks for the door.  
  
He marched right into the house and saw the scariest thing alive. It was disgusting. It was Lorelai. She was on the couch, literally buried under junk food. Luke walked over to her and dug through all the saturated fat and cholesterol until he found Lorelai's face.   
  
"What the hell are you doing, Lorelai?"  
  
"Go away, you evil, unforgiving man. Get out of my house." Lorelai proceeded to take a bag of chocolates.  
  
Luke snatched it away and said, "I'm not evil, Lorelai."  
  
"Hello? You just took away my candy. That is totally evilness I see. And you're still mad."  
  
"I-I'm not mad, Lorelai."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"I'm not mad, but upset and disappointed, sure."  
  
"What the hell did I do?"  
  
"You let me down, Lorelai."  
  
"I said I was sorry, Luke."  
  
"You said you were sorry for what you said, but not what you did. It wasn't Jess' fault, but you still managed to find a way to blame him. Dean could have done the same thing under the circumstances, but isn't he SUCH a saint? I'm sorry for doing that to you, but I couldn't bear listening to your stupid jokes, while in your head, Jess was the Devil. It just wasn't fair to the kid."  
  
She went silent for a minute.  
  
"I'm sorry, Luke. I never knew." Lorelai sat up and hugged him.  
  
"Well, now you know." She smiled as he awkwardly hugged her back. She had Luke again.  
  
"Now what's this I hear about Rory's dad?"  
  
With her arms still around him, Lorelai sobbed, "He's getting married…"  
  
  
Meanwhile, at the diner, Raine had been planning something. She guessed that this was the right time. She asked Ceasar and Jess if she could have her break. With a quick survey around the almost empty diner, they agreed to let her go for a few minutes. It was all the time she needed.  
  
  
Raine marched to Doose's Market with a purpose.   
  
"Hey, Mr. Taylor. May I please have a word with Dean?" 


	8. A Heart-To-Heart-To-Heart Talk

0.8 A Heart-To-Heart-To-Heart Talk  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I want to talk."  
  
Dean led Raine to the back of the store. He motioned her to sit on one of the crates and then did the same himself.  
  
"I'm sorry we don't have barstools for you to sit." Sarcasm. He had tried to catch her off guard, but Dean didn't know that she was the ultimate catch-you-off-guard player. She almost killed a man with a spatula. She was the QUEEN of this strategy.   
  
"Do you love Rory?" Raine saw his face morph into surprise. Ha.  
  
"Of course, I do. She's my girlfriend."  
  
"Is that all? You love her because she's your girlfriend?"  
  
"No, because she's perfect." Dean seemed to think that he had caught her. To Raine, it was the weakest answer she had ever heard.  
  
When Raine just looked at him, he added, "Well, I'm sure I love her more that Jess does."  
  
She gave out a small laugh.  
  
"Nobody can love her more than Jess does."  
  
"That's a lie. He almost killed her, you know."  
  
"That wasn't his fault. Besides, is that all you can say? I don't think you quite grasp the concept of what the word 'accident' really means."  
  
Dean was quiet.  
  
"How can you say Jess loves her more?"  
  
"It's as obvious as that ugly shirt you're wearing. It's the way he talks about her, like she's the most precious thing in the world; the way he describes every detail of her, like she's the perfect person;" she looked Dean in the eye, "the way he risked everything just to come back for her. Everybody in Stars Hollow hated him, right? He had no other reason to come back. He wasn't welcomed nicely, but he still stayed. Rory didn't say good-bye when she left, but he still stayed. In that accident, he could have just left her, but he didn't. He brought her to the hospital and made sure she was fine.  
  
"So you see, Dean, you may love Rory, but Jess does love her more."  
  
Dean, once again, remained silent. He took everything in. Raine was almost convinced that he was really the thickest-skulled being when he spoke, it was softly delivered, but Dean admitted defeat.  
  
"You're right, Raine."  
  
Nobody was more surprised than Raine when Dean said, "You love him, don't you?"  
  
She, the queen, had been caught off guard.  
  
"No, I do not. He's like my brother."  
  
"No. You do. It's the way you talk about him, like he's an angel in disguise; the way you look at him, like you want to hug him and kiss him at the same time; the way you come over here, risking your heart for him. You not even sure if Rory loves him back, are you? Why are you doing this, Raine? Why don't you tell him?"  
  
"Even if I did… love… him, it wouldn't matter because he loves Rory with every fiber of his being. Rory, Dean, not me."  
  
"You love him that much? You'd settle for heartbreak, just to see him happy?"  
  
"Yes, Dean. Now, the ten million dollar question is: Do YOU love Rory that much?"  
  
Both of them sat in silence. One looking at the sky; the other looking at the ground.   
  
"My break's over. I gotta go."  
  
  
That night, Dean sat in his room, thinking of what Raine had said earlier.  
  
"Do YOU love Rory that much?"  
  
It echoed in his mind. After three grueling hours of thinking, he reached for the phone.  
  
"Lorelai, do you have Rory's in-case-of-emergency number? … Thanks."  
  
He dialed the number and waited for an answer.   
  
"Rory? We have to talk… it's important."  
  
He guessed he DID love Rory that much. 


	9. A Bag Of Cheese

0.9 A Bag of Cheese  
  
[thank you so much for all the nice reviews!]  
  
"She's coming home tomorrow, Luke! I'm so excited!"  
  
"Yes, Lorelai, I'm quite sure I heard you the last twelve times. Rory is coming home tomorrow. I get it. I'm not acting like a madman like you, but believe it or not, I'm looking forward to it too."  
  
From the other end of the diner, Raine's voice rang out, "Why, Mr. TAYLOR! WHAT a surprise. What MAY I get you for LUNCH?"  
  
Jess snickered and Luke sighed.  
  
"What's up with our little hyper friend there, Lukers?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Jess wanted Raine to start reading, so he lent her the easiest book he could find."  
  
"What was the book?"  
  
"Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'."  
  
"THAT was the easiest book he could find? What happened to Roald Dahl?"  
  
"You know Jess, Lorelai. Anyway, Raine, being the super-fast reader she was, finished it in half an hour, obviously understanding nothing. She became really curious about the story and convinced Jess to just borrow the movie."  
  
"That's nice."  
  
"Oh, it doesn't stop there. She forced Jess to borrow the really long version because Colin Firth was a, may I quote, 'hottie.' Jesus, the guy's like, FORTY now, Lorelai. So, anyway, they stayed up the whole night watching a six-hour-video, which starred none other than Colin Firth. Apparently, this Bingo-Bingley dude in the movie talked funny, kind of like this high-low-high-low melodic voice thing, and Raine's been talking like that since she woke up."  
  
"I feel so bad for you, my friend."  
  
"Thank you." Luke said hopelessly.  
  
"Ms. LORELAI! How DO you DO?"  
  
"I'm doing WON-derfully, DAH-LING!"  
  
"Oh, crap. Don't encourage her, Lorelai."  
  
  
"They're coming! They're coming! Turn off the lights, Luke!"  
  
"Don't just stand there, Kirk. HIDE!"  
  
"Jess! Your hair's sticking up!"  
  
"It's supposed to do that!"  
  
"Oh! Sorry!"  
  
"Hey, people? Don't throw too much confetti, okay? I have to clean it up later."  
  
"Raine, shut up."  
  
The door jingled and Lorelai and Rory came in.  
  
"SURPRISE!"  
  
Handfuls of confetti were thrown in the air, towards Rory. When the paper storm was over, the floor was covered in confetti.  
  
"Damn you, people!"  
  
"Raine…"  
  
  
The party went beautifully. There was music, dancing, and cake. Soon, it was time to open the gifts. Everyone watched Rory as she commented on each gift.  
  
Jess took a deep breath as she picked up a small box. It was his gift. Oh, God.  
  
"You'll be fine, Jess. She'll love it."  
  
"You don't even know what it is, Raine."  
  
Rory opened the box and in it, was something that surprised her.  
  
"See, she's starting to cry. That's a good sign… I think." Raine said, unsurely but comfortingly.   
  
There, nestled on crumpled newspaper, was a simple wooden heart. It was painted a deep red and in thin, white writing, it said: "Jess' Heart." At the back, there was a sticker, obviously stolen from the Stars Hollow library, "This belongs to:"   
  
A tear fell from Rory's watery eyes. In Jess' black, even writing, "Rory Gilmore (If she wants it)"  
  
"Oh, my God, Jess. You stinking CHEESEBAG!" Raine whispered and smacked his shoulder.  
  
"I didn't know what else to get her, alright?"  
  
Rory silently stood up and walked towards them. Raine noticed this and walked away. Jess' back was to Rory so he had no idea what was going on.  
  
"Hey, I was talking to you!"  
  
He turned around and was met by a soft kiss.  
  
The whole town witnessed this and remained silent.  
  
From a distance, Luke saw Dean close his eyes and bow down; and Raine quickly turn her head away. 


	10. One Hell Of A Goodbye

0.10 One Hell Of A Goodbye  
  
[this is the last chapter people. i hope you enjoy it.]  
  
Raine looked out the window at the happy couple she had somehow helped create. She put her rag down on the counter and leaned against it.  
  
  
Luke came out of the kitchen, ready to take in another pile of dirty dishes. As he passed behind Raine, he noticed her shaking. He furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to why she wasn't helping.  
  
He raised his eyes and followed her gaze.   
  
Jess. Rory.  
  
"You did a good thing, Raine."  
  
"I know." was her whispered reply. Her eyes were still glued to the scene before her.   
  
A jingle from the door distracted her thoughts. It was Dean.  
  
"Hey, man. How you feeling?"  
  
"I feel like throwing up. They look like they're about to eat each other's heads out there."  
  
"I know how you feel, Dean. It IS quite disgusting to watch. But I'm proud of you, Dean-O."  
  
"Don't call me that."  
  
"Righty-O."  
  
  
When Dean left, Luke and Raine stood side by side, washing the dishes.   
  
"I'll be leaving tonight, Mr. Luke."  
  
Luke stopped for a second, "I'll help you get to the bus stop."  
  
  
They waited until Jess was asleep. Raine quietly changed into the clothes that they had found her in. She had no bag. She took a final survey of Jess' room. Her eyes landed on his sleeping form. Raine smiled sadly and bent over his face.  
  
From the doorway, Luke saw her give Jess a gentle kiss that felt like nothing, but meant everything. His own eyes watered at the pain in Raine's expression.  
  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to stay?"  
  
"Do you want my chest to implode, Mr. Luke?"  
  
"I guess not."  
  
The bus soon came, and took Raine away from Stars Hollow.  
  
  
When they were opening the diner the next day, Jess was once again silent. Luke stood behind the cashier's register.  
  
"Just like that, huh?" he said angrily.  
  
"Yep, just like that." Luke answered, without looking at his nephew.  
  
"I figured she'd say goodbye before she'd leave."  
  
Luke just smiled a melancholy smile, thinking of Raine's pained kiss.  
  
"She did, Jess. And she gave you one hell of a goodbye."  
  
END 


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